Color-changing display apparatus.



PATENTED NOV. 3, 1908.

. F. WOODBRI'DGE. COLOR CHANGING DISPLAY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.19, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

' UNITED STATES Patented November 3, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK WOODBRIDGE, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 743,129, dated November3, 1903.

Original application filed April 7, 1902, Serial No. 101,622. Dividedand this application filed September 19, 1902. Serial ITO-123,994. (N0model.)

.30 it whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK WOODBRIDGE, a citizen of the United States,residing at In dianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements inQolor-OhangingDisplay Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification.

A color-changing apparatus consisting of two or more superimposed disksor segments the front ones of which are perforated or cut, so as toexpose portions of the rear ones to View, and the faces of which arevariously colored is a well-known device. So far as I am aware a changeof color effect in such apparatus has been produced by a sudden reversalof direction of movement of the device and consequent relative shiftingof the colorcarrying members.

The object of my presentinvention is to provide a color changing orexhibiting apparatus in which one or more of the color members areconnected to and disconnected from the driving means, so that though thedirection of movement be unchanged one or more of the color members maybe allowed to attain a speed different from that of the others, thuschanging the relative positions of the color members, and consequentlychanging the color eifect produced thereby.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention as applied to atwo-member or twodisk device especially designed for use in connectionwith my card-displaying apparatus described and claimed in my pendingapplication Serial No. 101,622 and of which this application is adivision.

Figure 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2, an axial sectional detail; Fig. 3,a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and Figs. 4 and 5 elevations, on asmaller scale, of desirable forms of cooperating color members or disks.

In the drawings, 10 indicates a main shaft, which in the drawings isshown as the armature-shaft of a small electric motor 11. Secured to theend of shaft 10 is a head 12, to the outer end of which is secured acolor-disk 13, having one or more segmental openings 13' 13," &c. Freelyrotatable upon head 12 back of disk 13 is a sleeve 14:, to which is seecured a disk 15, the face of which is sectionally colored, as indicatedin Fig. 4. Sleeve 14 carries at its inner end afiange 16, having teeth17, which are adapted to be engaged by a pawl 18, pivoted upon a lug 19,carried by 5';

sleeve 14. Pawl 18 is beveled at its free end, which projects beyondflange 16, and is normally urged into engagement with teeth 17 by anysuitable means, such as a spring 18'.

That portion of pawl 18 which engages teeth 17 is preferably V-shaped incross-section in order that when it is first released, so as to beforced into engagement with teeth 17, said teeth may not be immediatelycaught thereby, as a sudden and positive engagement might result in adistortion or breaking of the teeth or lever.

Surrounding sleeve 14 is a collar 20, one

end of which is beveled, as at 21, to engage the free beveled end ofpawl 18 and when the collar is shifted to swing said pawl out ofengagement with teeth 17. Collar 20 carries a spring-brake 20, which maybe brought into engagement with flange 16 and serve to further retarddisk 15 when pawl 18 is disconnected from teeth 17. Collar 20 may beilltermittently shifted by any suitable means. In the drawings I haveshown the collar as supported by a bracket 22, carried by a rod 23,normally urged by a spring 24, so as to8o keep collar 20 out ofengagement with pawl 18. Rod 23 carries a bracket or arm 25, the end ofwhich is a cam 26, which lies in position to be engaged by any one of anumber of pins 27, carried by a wheel or gear 28.

and a certain color eifect is produced. As

gear 28 revolves pins 27 come into engagement with cam 26, and therebyforce collar 20 into engagement with pawl 18, so as to with- 5 draw thepawl from engagement with teeth 17 and at the same time bring thebrake-spring into engagement with flange 16. As a consequence disk 15will lag behind disk 13. As soon as pin 27 passes cam 26 collar 20iswithdrawn and pawl 18 drops into engagement with the teeth 17. Owing tothe triangular shape of The disks o the pawl it does not immediatelypartially engage the toothed flange, but slips over the teeth, so as tobring disk 15 gradually up to the constant speed of disk 13, in thismanner avoiding the possibility of breaking the teeth or pawl, whichwould result unless there were some means for gradually overcoming theinertia of the disk 15. The release and return of pawl 18 causes ashifting of disk 15 with relation to disk 13 so that different portionsof its colored sections will be exposed through the openings 13 13",&c., thus causing a change in the resultant color efiiect produced bythe rotation of the two disks.

I claim as my invention 1. In a color-changing display apparatus,

the combination, with a pair of superimposed colored disks, portions ofone of which are visible through portions of the other, of means forrotating one of said disks constantly in one direction, aseparablepositive connection between said disks, and means for intermittentlyseparating and reconnecting said connection during rotation of thedisks.

2. In a display apparatus, the combination with a pair ofsectionally-colored disks one revoluble upon the other and portions ofone of which are visible through portions of the other, a toothed flangecarried by one disk, a pawl carried by the other disk and having aWedge-shaped face adapted to lie between any two of the teeth of thetoothed flange so as to connect the two disks in the manner described,means for rotating one disk, and means for intermittently withdrawingthe pawl from engagement with the toothed flange.

3. In a display apparatus, the combination with a pair ofsectionallycolored disks one revoluble upon the other and portions ofone of which are visible through portions of the other, a toothed flangecarried by one disk, a pawl 18 carried by the other disk and adapted toengage the toothed flange substantially in the manner described, meansfor rotating one disk, and means for intermittently withdrawing the pawlfrom engagement with the toothed flange.

4. In a display apparatus, the combination with a pair ofsectionally-colored disks one revoluble upon the other and portions ofone visible through portions of the other, a toothed flange carried byone disk, a pawl carried by the other disk and adapted to engage thetoothed flange, means for rotating one disk, a collar, a brake carriedby said collar, and means for intermittently shifting the collar so asto engage the pawl and withdraw it from the toothed-flange end so as tobring the brake into engagement'with said flange.

5. In a color-changing display apparatus, the combination, witha pair ofsuperimposed disks the under one of which is varicolored and the upperone of which has portions which are black and other portions through theunder disk may be seen, of means for rotating one of said disksconstantly in one direction, a separable positive connection betweensaid disks, and means for intermittently disconnecting and reconnectingsaid connection during rotation of the disks wh ereby said other diskmay be caused to rotate with the first disk or may momentarily lagbehind said first disk so that the relation of said other disk to thefirst diskmay be shifted to produce a different resultant color.

6. In a color-changing display apparatus, the combination, with a pairof superimposed colored disks, portions of one of which are visiblethrough portions of the other, of means for rotating one of said diskscontinuously in one direction, a separable connection between the diskssaid connection being such as to gradually positively connect the twodisks whereby the loose disk may be gradually positively connected withthe continuously-rotating disk but such that, when connected, therelative positions of the two disks cannot be changed except by positivedisconnection of the connecting means, and means for intermittentlyseparating and reconnecting said connection during rotatio of the disks.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, atIndianapolis, Indiana, this 10th day of September, A. D. 1902.

FRANK WOODBRIDGE. [L.' s]

Witnesses:

ARTHUR M. H001), JAMES A. WALSH.

